The Brightest Black

As darkness enveloped the world George and Fred dropped to their knees, reaching under their robes it took only a moment to locate the bags Hermione had given them. Screams echoed around them as Fred felt a spell flash by over his head.

Their fingers tore at the drawstrings, almost ripping fingernails off in their haste. George could hear Mamoru cursing in rapid-fire Japanese as he cast what felt like shield charms.

There!

They hadn’t had time to create goggles yet to let them see through the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, but that was alright. They still had their Chilean Instant Lightness Powder - something that they DID NOT sell to the public.

As one the two of them tossed the powder into the sky, summoning a wind to spread it around. Visibility returned just in time for the crowd of witches and wizards to see the most terrifying sight of all:

Lord Voldemort standing upon Albus Dumbledore’s tomb.

For an instant the entire world froze in silence. Surprise was evident upon the Dark Lord’s face. His piercing eyes roved the crowd as they all looked at him.

And then he smiled.

“Kill them all.”

A small wave of his wand and the two dozen dark-robed figures in the crowd sprouted the terrifying Death Eater masks.

Bellatrix laughed and spun, her wavy black hair swirling around in a manner that reminded Fred of Hermione. Spells flew from her wand, Fred watched as a blonde witch’s clothes erupted into brilliant red flames, burning away until she was naked. The witch screamed and turned to run, pushing through the crowd that was now seething like a wounded animal.

Fred threw up a shield just in time to stop whatever nasty spell she cast at him. George turned so that his back was to Mamoru’s. The two of them clearing a path and hurrying the panicking wizards and witches outside of the apparition wards.

Mamoru started screaming and dropped, twitching and jerking in pain as the Cruciatus rushed through him. George spun and cast off a nasty blinding spell at the Death Eater.

It didn’t just blind, it burned.

The Death Eater screamed and fell to his knees, dropping his wand and clawing at his eyes.

Mamoru stopped screaming and took a few deep breathes and George held his hand out towards his companion even as he cast a shield over them both. Just in time to stop a rather nasty-looking orange curse.

Fred yanked a tombstone out of the ground just in time to stop Bellatrix’s killing curse.

“Sorry bout that, Peverall. Desperate times and all that,” he said to it, doffing an imaginary cap even as he blocked a second spell of some sort with the cracked stone.

George laughed as Fred sent the tombstone flying straight at Bellatrix’s middle. The witch let out a loud, “Oomph!” and went flying backwards through the thinning crowd - falling somewhere near Dumbledore’s tomb.

Behind George was the sound of numerous people apparating out, running for their lives even as more aurors came pouring in. The uniformed witches and wizards raced around George and Mamoru, barely sparing them a glance.

George tried to throw off a spell with each loud ‘Crack!’ but was hard pressed to do so. There were just too many of them.

Fred pushed through the crowd, stepping over bodies he didn’t care to look down at.

“GO! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!” he shouted at a group of old wizards huddling on the ground behind a cracked tomb, eyes squeezed shut in terror.

“But-” one started to say, his white beard quivering in fear.

“The Weasley said to get, Artulus! Now get!” Doge barked, coming around a large monument sporting an angel with one wing blasted off.

The little wizard was typically very calm and quiet, but Fred rather suspected he didn’t care much having his best friend’s funeral attacked. He looked positively frightening right now.

Well, as frightening as a mouse could look.

The older wizards looked at Doge for a moment, then back at Fred before looking around at the almost empty graveyard.

The one that spoke before opened his mouth to reply, but was froze as a spell hit Doge full on the chest. Blood spurted from huge, numerous cuts. Fred stared in shock for a moment, his eyes meeting the older wizard’s as they grew dazed and vacant. Then Doge crumpled to the ground, nothing more than a pile of bloody robes.

Fred had never before seen someone die that he knew.

Doge had been coming into their shop every couple weeks since they had first opened. Buying prank supplies for his grandchildren. He’d always chuckled over how turnabout was fair play and that his daughter and son-in-law needed a little excitement in their lives.

A huge mental punch from George got Fred moving again just in time to turn and throw up a shield.

“GO!!!” he screamed at the old men as he turned to face the new assailant.

He barely noticed the men fleeing for their lives. This new Death Eater was fast, keeping Fred jumping around, dodging spells and chunks of tombstones.

George worked with Mamoru, doing their best to fight as one, but their different styles were getting in the way. Their elbows bumped together and Mamoru cursed in Japanese as his spell went off course and stunned a fleeing bystander.

George’s curses were non-existent. He didn’t have time. His shield failed and his wand was too far out of position to re-raise it in time to stop whatever the nearest Death Eater had just shot at him.

He didn’t have time to think. He turned, grabbed Mamoru’s arm, and yanked the older wizard to the ground with him. George felt his wand snap as it hit the dirt even as Mamoru did a weird twist and rolled off away. Popping to his feet and eliminating the Death Eater that had been attacking George.

The one that had been dueling with Mamoru was now nothing but a pile of sliced meat - courtesy of the spell George had dodged.

“Merlin, that was close.”

Mamoru extended his hand down to help George up. “We’re not done yet.”

“Fred is dueling with someone over there,” George pointed farther into the graveyard, to where a distant red-headed figure was weaving in and out among tombs.

“What is she doing?”

George turned to see where Mamoru was looking.

There, atop a weather-worn old monument stood Narcissa Malfoy, her shining silver shield visible in one arm, her wand raised in the other.

And she wasn’t alone.

Scrimgeour's tawny mane was visible next to her. As George watched others ran up. He could make out his parents, Padfoot, Moony, Tonks and Alianore.

Nearby, was a gathering group of dark-clad figures.

Voldemort, surrounded by his Death Eaters.

Fred feinted to the left and then spun, casting behind his back and finally catching the bloody Death Eater by surprise.

There was nothing classy about using a full body-bind, but as he’d said earlier - desperate times called for desperate measures.

He walked over to the fallen Death Eater, giving him a good kick in the side before casting a stunner straight at the chest.

“And stay down, next time I’ll kill you.”

Curiosity flooded over his link with George and Fred noticed the growing crowd nearby.

Fred moved closer to the crowd, his eyes skittering away from the bodies littering the ground, especially the form of Doge.

Voldemort was crouched atop Dumbledore's broken tomb. He slowly stood up, wand in hand, and faced the Order of the Phoenix.

“Good afternoon, traitor. Tell me, have you taken the old fool’s place?” he hissed.

“The only traitors here are wearing masks. Now, are you ready to surrender and submit to justice?” Scrimgeour barked.

Mrs. Malfoy sighed and Fred could clearly see her annoyance at the Minister of Magic, well-hidden as it was. He’d seen that look enough time on Hermione’s face.

The Minister was in trouble when this was all over.

Voldemort threw his head back and let out a horrible laugh. “Justice? Surrender? I fear you, dear Minister, are as much of a fool as Fudge if you believe those words mean anything to me. No, there will be no surrendering today. Only death.”

“Yes, but whose death?” Mrs. Malfoy asked coldly.

“Why, yours, dear sister,” Bellatrix practically purred as she removed her mask and moved to stand in front of her lord, though well below him.

“I beg to differ.”

Fred hadn’t seen her, but Andromeda Tonks stood near her daughter.

“You!” Bellatrix hissed. “I didn’t think you had the nerve to leave your little cottage!”

“Silly little, Bella. You thought me gutless? Do you truly think a coward would be capable of defying tradition and seeking their own path? No, it is the cowards that never question what they are told. It is the foolish that follow those that do not care about them. All of us Blacks, even poor Regulus, learned to question and learn. Well, all except one.”

Bellatrix sputtered, at a loss on how to reply to her older sister’s taunts.

Mrs. Malfoy let out a cold, little tinkle of laughter. “I see, dear sister, that you are intelligent to see what your family thinks of you now. To see how we disapprove of you. Did you know Sirius disowned you? That’s you’re no longer a member of the most Noble and Ancient House of Black?”

“NO!” Bellatrix screamed. “He can’t do that!”

Padfoot let out a harsh bark of laughter, “But, dear cousin, I already did.”

Bellatrix screamed once more in rage and raised her wand, but her lord’s voice cut her off.

“No. Not yet.”

“Not yet? Just what do you think will change?” Scrimgeour growled.

Voldemort’s eyes narrowed and he mouth pulled wide in a thin, snake-like smile.

“Everything.”

A prickle of fear ran down Fred’s spine at those words and felt George stiffen.

Mrs. Malfoy stood as still as a statue and Fred kept his eyes glued on her, trying to convince himself that it was not the Order and the aurors between himself and Voldemort.

He’d feel so much better if Hermione, Harry, and the others were there. Hell, he’d even be happy to have the snakes around that had so recently joined them.

But he knew why they weren’t there. Voldemort would do almost anything to kill Harry right now.

“Now, while we wait, why don’t you tell me where Potter is hiding?” Voldemort said, his eyes scanning the small crowd before him.

“He ain’t hiding!” Tonks called out.

“We just knew you’d be disappointed not to find him here. And we do love to disappoint Tom Riddle,” Padfoot drawled.

“That is not my name!”

“Funny, could’ve sworn that was the name on your diary,” Moony said.

Voldemort froze for a half-second, it was barely perceptible, but it happened.

“Or was it on the locket?” Padfoot asked. “Remember? The one my house-elf gave me to destroy?”

“No, I think it was on the cup I pulled from my sister’s Gringotts vault,” Mrs. Malfoy said.

“Perhaps it was on all three?” Mrs. Tonks asked.

Mrs. Malfoy nodded her head. “Mayhaps. There was certainly a part of Tom Riddle on each of those.”

It was almost amusing, seeing panic on Voldemort’s snake-like face.

“You know, it’s no wonder Voldemort didn’t die back in 1981. What will all those pieces of Tom scattered around. Let’s see if we got them all. Rufus?” Padfoot asked. “Want to do the honors?”

“With pleasure, Avada Kedavra! ”

A jet of green light jumped from the Minister’s wand. Voldemort may have been in shock, but he was still fast.

Unnaturally fast.

Even as the Minister spoke the Dark Lord’s wand was already moving and he was screaming out, “ Avada Kedavra! ”

Lord Voldemort’s spell shot right through the Minister’s, destroying it and taking Scrimgeour down before anyone could even blink.

“I think that’s enough for today.”

The shock and surprise on everyone’s faces was clearly evident. Fred could hardly believe it himself, he’d never heard of a spell completely obliterating another one in mid-air.

Neither had Fred.

It wasn’t possible. Unless…

The Deathstick!

Merlin damned Albus bloody Dumbledore had been the wielder of the Deathstick!!! And Voldemort had killed him!

They were fucked.

Utterly and completely fucked.

“Break the wards! Go!” Voldemort screamed, signalling a restart to the battle.

Chaos erupted and Fred ran throwing up a shield just in time to stop something from hitting Moony.

George started to rush towards his twin, but was stopped by Mamoru grabbing his wrist.

“Stop. Something is off.”

They stood there, on the edge of the graveyard, a battle raging behind them as they stared at the pleasant looking grove of trees.

George shivered, a sudden hint of ice in the air.

He couldn’t help but wonder when will all of this end? When will he stop fearing for Fred’s life? It had been so terrible, that time Fred got sick and George didn’t. He’d been so lonely. Unable to reach out and feel his brother. Fred’s magic had been sapped out of him, fighting the illness.

Everyone had said it was normal, that he wasn’t supposed to use magic when sick anyways.

But they hadn’t understood.

They had never realized just how lonely they were, not having a twin. Not having their other half.

“Now, George, go sleep with Ron. Fred needs rest.”

“No, you can’t see Fred. We can’t afford to have you sick, too.”

“GEORGE! If I catch you trying to sneak in one more time you’ll regret it!”

“That’s it! You’re going to go stay at Black cottage for a few days! Sirius promised to keep you under control. Bless that man!”

His mother’s voice, from so long again ran through his head, taking over his thoughts, blocking out all communication with the one he needed to hear from the most.

XXX

Fred was too far away when he saw the dark figures come gliding out of the copse of trees.

There were so many of them. Hundreds of them. More than had ever been in Azkaban.

And they were headed right for George and Mamoru.

“ Expecto Patr-”

His spell was cut off as large chunk of stone slammed into his side. He felt more than heard his ribs crack as he went flying through the air - coming to an abrupt stop when he slammed into a large tree.

THUNK!

His head swung forward and then backwards, straight into the solid trunk.

His vision grew blurry, but he didn’t need his eyes to see what was happening. His mouth let out a scream of pain as he pushed himself to his feet, raising his wand arm and aiming straight at the dementors surrounding his brother.

“ Expecto Patronum!”

Nothing happened.

Blinking in confusion he looked down at his wand. His mind barely made sense of what he saw.

His wand was so short...had it always been that short?

No.

Course not. Then what-?

Oh.

Broken.

His heart lurched and he screamed out for his brother, seeking him out, but unable to make contact.

He tried to run, but his foot landed wrong and a deep, dull CRACK sounded as he fell and hit the ground.

He lay there, watching the figures fully encircle his brother, hiding him from view.

George…

He pulled his arms up, pushing himself to his feet, heedless of the loud Crack s caused by the Death Eaters now apparating out. He grabbed onto a nearby tombstone, pulling himself up. He got one foot solidly on the ground, but as soon as he put weight on the other white hot pain lashed through him.

He cried out, falling back to the ground, crying out for George even as darkness took him.

XXX

Alone.

He was so alone.

Hot tears burned George's cheeks as he sank to his knees. His broken wand clutched tightly in his fist.

A hand touched his face.

Fred!

He opened his mouth to shout in glee, never knowing it was more than air that left him.